Anvil assembly with frangible retaining member

ABSTRACT

An anvil assembly includes a retaining member having a body portion and a frangible portion connected to the body portion, where the frangible portion is positioned to engage a backup member and separates from the body portion during movement of the backup member from a first, proximal position to a second, distal position. The retaining member keeps the backup plate in the proximal position prior to firing of the stapling assembly, and upon separation of the frangible portion allows the backup plate to move to the distal position during firing of the stapling assembly. Proximal force on the backup plate after firing of the stapling assembly is avoided, thereby helping to ensure titling of the anvil assembly.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to an anvil assembly having a tiltable head which is suitable for use with a circular anastomosis stapler. More specifically, the present disclosure relates a tiltable anvil assembly having a frangible retaining member.

2. Background of Related Art

Circular anastomosis staplers which include an anvil assembly having a tiltable anvil head are known in the art. An example of such circular anastomosis stapler and tiltable anvil assembly are disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 7,364,060 (“the '060 patent”). A further example of a tiltable anvil assembly is disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0230581 (“the '581 publication”). The content of each of the '060 patent and the '581 publication are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The anvil assembly described in the '581 publication includes a backup plate located within the anvil assembly positioned to prevent tilting of the anvil head of the anvil assembly prior to firing of the stapler. Upon firing of the stapler, a knife blade of the stapler engages and moves the backup plate to a position which allows the anvil head to tilt upon retraction of the knife blade. If the backup plate sticks to the knife blade upon retraction of the knife blade, the backup plate may return to its position preventing tilting of the anvil head. When this occurs, the anvil head will not tilt.

In order to maintain the backup plate in a proximal position where it prevents tilting of the anvil head prior to firing, the anvil assembly described in the '581 publication includes a retainer member positioned distal of the backup plate. The retainer member includes a plurality of deformable tabs which prevent distal movement of the backup plate until a predetermined force sufficient to deform the tabs is applied to the backup plate, i.e., through engagement with the knife blade during staple formation. A residual proximal force is produced during deformation of the deformable tabs. This force acts on the backup plate which may cause the backup plate to move proximally towards its original position. As described in the '581 publication, the tilting operation of the anvil assembly relies on the distal positioning of the backup plate following the firing of the stapler. Any proximal force that acts on the backup plate may cause the backup plate to return to the original proximal position, thereby preventing tilting of the anvil assembly.

Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide an anvil assembly with a means of retaining the backup plate in the proximal position prior to firing of the stapling assembly, that allows the backup plate to move to the distal position during firing of the stapling assembly, and that does not produce a proximal force which acts on the backup plate after firing of the stapling assembly that may prevent the anvil assembly from tilting.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, an anvil assembly is provided. The anvil assembly includes a center rod assembly and a head assembly. The head assembly includes a housing, a backup member, and a retaining member. The head assembly is pivotally supported on the center rod assembly between a non-tilted position and a tilted position. The backup member is movable from a first position in which a portion of the backup member is positioned to prevent pivotal movement of the head assembly from the non-tilted position to the tilted position, to a second position in which the backup member is positioned to permit pivotal movement of the head assembly in relation to the center rod assembly from the non-tilted position to the tilted position. The retaining member includes a body portion and a frangible portion connected to the body portion. The frangible portion is positioned to engage the backup member and is configured to separate from the body portion during movement of the backup member from the first position to the second position.

In one embodiment, the retainer member is positioned in the head assembly to prevent movement of the backup member from the first position to the second position until a predetermined force has been applied to the backup member. The retainer member may be positioned in the head assembly between the housing and the backup member, the retainer member including a retaining portion and a body portion extending from the retaining portion, the frangible portion being supported on the body portion spaced from the retaining portion. The retaining portion of the retainer member may be positioned adjacent an inside wall of the housing. The head assembly may further include a post, the housing and the post defining an annular recess and the retainer member being positioned in the annular recess. The retainer member may include a retaining portion formed on a first end of the body portion and the frangible portion is supported on the body portion at a location spaced from the retaining portion. The body portion of the retainer member may define a plurality of cutouts configured to accommodate fingers formed on the backup member. The retaining member may define a weakened portion between the body portion and the frangible portion. The weakened portion may define perforations.

In some embodiments, the head assembly may further include a cam latch member positioned to prevent movement of the backup member from the second position to the first position. The head assembly may be pivotally secured to the center rod about a pivot member and the cam latch member may be pivotally mounted about the pivot member. The cam latch member may be configured to maintain engagement with the backup member when the head assembly moves from the non-tilted position to the tilted position such that movement of the backup member from its second position towards its first position is prevented. The cam latch member may be positioned to engage an inner periphery of the backup member when the backup member is in its first position. The anvil assembly may further include a plunger which is urged by a biasing member into engagement with the cam latch member to urge the cam latch member to its pivoted position. The cam latch member may include a curved surface which is configured to eliminate any gap between the cam latch member and the backup member during movement of the head assembly from the first position to the second position.

In various embodiments, the backup member may include a cutting ring and a backup plate. The cutting ring may be secured to a proximal face of the backup plate. The backup plate may include at least one finger positioned to engage a surface of the center rod when the backup member is in its first position to prevent pivotal movement of the head assembly in relation to the center rod. The cutting ring may be formed from a softer material than the backup plate. The cutting ring may be formed from polyethylene and the backup plate is formed from a metal. The center rod may define a longitudinal axis and a pivot axis of the head assembly intersects the longitudinal axis of the center rod.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the presently disclosed anvil assembly are disclosed herein with reference to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view from one end of the presently disclosed anvil assembly with the anvil head tilted;

FIG. 2 is a side perspective view from the other end of the anvil assembly shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side perspective view with parts separated of the anvil assembly shown in FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of the cam latch member of the anvil assembly shown in FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of the frangible retainer member of the anvil assembly shown in FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of the anvil head and distal end of the center rod assembly taken through the cam latch member with the anvil head in the non-tilted or operative position;

FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of the anvil head and distal end of the center rod assembly with backup plate and cutting ring in their proximal position in the anvil head housing;

FIG. 7A is an enlarged view of indicated area 7A shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 7B is an enlarged view of indicated area 7B shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of the anvil head and distal end of the center rod assembly taken through the cam latch member prior to tilting of the anvil head with the backup plate and cutting ring in their advanced or distal position in the anvil head housing;

FIG. 8A is an enlarged view of indicated area 8A shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 8B is an enlarged view of indicated area 8B shown in FIG. 8; and

FIG. 9 is a side cross-sectional view of the anvil head and distal end of the anvil center rod assembly with the backup plate and cutting ring in their advanced position in the anvil head housing and the anvil head in the tilted position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the presently disclosed anvil assembly will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings in which like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding elements in each of the several views. As is common in the art, the term “proximal” refers to that part or component closer to the user or operator, i.e. surgeon or clinician, while the term “distal” refers to that part or component further away from the user.

FIGS. 1-9 illustrate an anvil assembly 10 which is suitable for use with a surgical stapling device for performing, for example, circular anastomoses of hollow tissue organs and hemorrhoid surgeries. Referring to FIGS. 1-3, anvil assembly 10 includes a head assembly 12 and a center rod assembly 14. Head assembly 12 includes a post 16, a housing 18, a backup member or plate 20, a cutting ring 22, a cutting ring cover 23, an anvil plate 24, a cam latch member 26, and a frangible retaining member 27. As shown, post 16 is monolithically formed with and centrally positioned within head 18. Alternately, head 18 and post 16 may be formed separately and fastened together using a known fastening technique, e.g., adhesive, welding, friction fit, etc. Anvil plate 24 is supported in an outer annular recess 28 (FIG. 3) of housing 18 and includes a plurality of staple deforming pockets 30 for receiving and deforming staples. At least one tab 24 a extends radially outwardly from anvil plate 24 and is received within a cutout 32 formed in an outer rim of housing 18. Tab 24 a and cutout 32 function to align or properly position anvil plate 24 within annular recess 28 of housing 18.

With particular reference now to FIG. 3, backup plate 20 includes a central opening 34 which allows backup plate 20 to be positioned about post 16. Backup plate 20 is configured to be received within an inner annular recess 36 of housing 18 formed between post 16 and outer annular recess 28. Backup plate 20 includes a raised platform 20 a. Although platform 20 a is illustrated as having a circular shape, other configurations are envisioned, e.g., square, rectangular, triangular, etc. Backup plate 20 includes a pair of inwardly extending fingers 38 which will be described in further detail below. Backup plate 20 is formed from a relatively hard material, e.g., a metal. Alternately other materials of construction may be used to construct backup plate 20.

Cutting ring 22 includes an opening 22 a having a configuration substantially the same as platform 20 a of backup plate 20. Cutting ring 22 includes an outer lip 22 b configured to be received within an annular groove 36 a formed in housing 18 (FIG. 6). As will be described in further detail below, outer lip 22 b of cutting ring 22 is configured to maintain cutting ring 22 and backup plate 20 in a proximal position about post 16 and within inner annular recess 36 of housing 18 prior to a staple forming procedure. Cutting ring 22 may be formed from polyethylene or other suitable material. Cutting ring 22 is fixedly secured to backup plate 20 using, for example, an adhesive, to form a backup plate/cutting ring assembly. In one embodiment, cutting ring 22 is over-molded to backup plate 20 with undercuts. Alternatively, backup plate 20 and cutting ring 22 may be formed as a single or unitary structure.

With reference still to FIG. 3, cutting ring cover 23 is configured to be secured to an outwardly facing or proximal surface 40 of cutting ring 22 using, for example, an adhesive. In one embodiment, cutting ring cover 23 is formed from a material or materials which have a hardness greater than that of cutting ring 22, e.g., Mylar. In other embodiments, cutting ring cover 23 includes two layers of Mylar (not shown) which are joined together using an adhesive and/or a polypropylene coating. Alternately, cutting ring 22 need not have a cover.

Backup plate 20 and cutting ring 22 are configured to be movably mounted about post 16. As will be described in further detail below, backup plate 20 and cutting ring 22 are configured to move from an initial or proximal position (FIGS. 6 and 7) about post 16 and within inner annular recess 36 of housing 18 to an advanced or distal position (FIG. 8) about post 16 and within inner annular recess 36 of housing 18. As discussed in further detail below, in the proximal position, backup plate 20 prevents head assembly 12 from rotating relative to center rod assembly 14 and, in the distal position, backup plate 20 does not prevent head assembly 12 from rotating relative to center rod assembly 14.

With reference still to FIG. 1-3, center rod assembly 14 includes a center rod 52, a plunger 54, and plunger spring 56. A first end of center rod 52 includes a pair of arms 59 which define a cavity 59 a (FIG. 3). Each arm 59 has a transverse throughbore 58 which is aligned with a central longitudinal axis of center rod 52. Alternately, throughbores 58 can be offset from the longitudinal axis of center rod 52. Post 16 of anvil head assembly 12 is dimensioned to be positioned within cavity 59 a and also includes a transverse throughbore 60. A pivot member 62 pivotably secures post 16 to center rod 52 via throughbore 58 of each arm 59 and throughbore 60 of post 16 such that anvil head assembly 12 is pivotably mounted to center rod assembly 14. For a more detailed description of center rod assembly 14, please refer to the '581 publication, the content of which was previously incorporated herein by reference.

With reference now to FIGS. 3 and 4, cam latch member 26 includes a body 26 a having a throughbore 26 b. Throughbore 26 b is dimensioned to receive pivot member 62 such that cam latch member 26 is pivotally mounted within a transverse slot 72 (FIG. 3) of post 16 about pivot member 62. Cam latch member 26 includes a first body portion 26 c which is configured to extend partially from slot 72 of post 16 and be positioned for engagement by finger 66 of plunger 54. Cam latch member 26 also includes an edge 26 f which is configured to be urged into engagement with an inner periphery of backup plate 20 by finger 66 of plunger 54 when anvil head 12 is in its non-tilted or operative position (FIG. 6).

With reference now to FIG. 5, frangible retainer member 27 has a first end 100 a and a second end 100 b and includes a substantially annular body portion 100 having a retaining ring or portion 102 formed near first end 100 a and a frangible ring or portion 104 spaced from retaining portion 102 and formed adjacent second end 100 b. Retaining ring 102 is configured to secure frangible retainer member 27 about post 16 of head assembly 12. As will be discussed in further detail below, frangible ring 104 is configured to selectively maintain backup plate 20 and cutting ring 22 in the proximal position (FIGS. 6 and 7). Frangible ring 104 may include a stress riser or groove 104 a, perforations, or another weakened portion or portions disposed between frangible ring 104 and annular body portion 100 to aid in separation of frangible ring 104 from annular member 100. Frangible retainer member 27 defines a plurality of cutouts 101 configured to accommodate fingers 38 (FIG. 7) of backup plate 20 and cam latch member 26 (FIG. 6).

When frangible retainer member 27 is positioned about post 16, retaining ring 102 is positioned adjacent a back wall 18 a of housing 18. Frangible ring 104 is positioned between backup plate 20 and housing 18. Frangible ring 104 is configured to maintain backup plate 20 and cutting ring 22 in the proximal position (FIGS. 6 and 7) until a predetermined force sufficient to fracture or separate frangible ring 104 from annular body portion 100 is applied to the backup plate/cutting ring assembly. The predetermined force can be close to but is less than the force applied by an annular cutting blade (not shown) of a surgical stapling device (not shown) to backup plate 20 (FIG. 3) when the knife blade engages the backup plate/cutting ring assembly. In one embodiment, the predetermined force is between about ten pounds and about ninety pounds. In another embodiment, the predetermined force is about thirty (30) pounds. When the predetermined force is reached, e.g., during cutting of tissue, frangible ring 104 fractures or separates from annular body 100, thereby allowing backup plate 20 to be pushed distally within inner annular recess 36 of housing 18. In any of the embodiments disclosed herein, frangible retainer member 27 may have a continuous ring without cutouts 101 so that the parts stay together . The four sections formed by cutouts 101 could become jammed, preventing the anvil from tilting.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, anvil assembly 10 is shown in a pre-fired, operative position. In the pre-fired, operative position, backup plate 20 is spaced from back wall 18 a of housing 18 and fingers 38 (FIG. 7) of backup plate 20 engage protrusions 52 b formed adjacent top surface 52 a of center rod 52 to prevent tilting of anvil head assembly 12 about pivot member 62. As shown in FIG. 6, finger 66 of plunger 54 is urged by spring 56 into engagement with body portion 26 c of cam latch member 26 to urge cam latch member 26 in a clockwise direction about pivot member 62 such that edge 26 f of cam latch member 26 engages an inner periphery 20 b of backup member 20. Frangible retainer member 27 prevents inadvertent or premature movement of backup plate 20 distally within inner annular recess 36 of housing 18 to prevent premature or inadvertent tilting of anvil head assembly 12. Specifically, and with particular reference to FIG. 7A, backup plate 20 engages frangible ring 104 of frangible retaining member 27, thereby maintaining backup plate 20 in the proximal position. With particular reference to FIG. 7B, backup plate 20 is further maintained in the proximal position within inner annular recess 36 of housing 18 through receipt of lip 22 b of cutting ring 22 within annular groove 36 a of housing 18.

During a stapling procedure, anvil assembly 10 is attached to a surgical stapling device (not shown) and the surgical stapling device is fired in the manner described in the '060 patent, the content of which was previously incorporated herein by reference. With reference now to FIG. 8, during firing of the surgical stapling device, a knife blade (not shown) of the surgical stapling device engages cutting ring 22 (or cutting ring cover 23) and applies a distal force on the backup plate/cutting ring assembly 20/22. As described above, when a predetermined force is applied to the backup plate/cutting ring assembly, the force is transferred through the backup plate/cutting ring assembly 20/22 to frangible ring 104 of frangible retaining member 27. Upon application of the predetermined force to frangible ring 104, frangible ring 104 separates from annular body portion 100 of frangible retaining member 27 to allow the backup plate/cutting ring assembly 20/22 to be pushed distally, in the direction indicated by arrow “W”, into inner annular recess 36 of housing 18. The distal movement of the backup plate/cutting ring assembly 20/22 causes fingers 38 (FIG. 7) of backup plate 20 to move away from and out of engagement with protrusions 52 b (FIG. 7) of center rod 52. As inner periphery 20 b of backup plate 20 moves past edge 26 f of cam latch member 26, cam latch member 26 is pivoted, in the direction indicated by arrow “X” in FIG. 8, by plunger 54 to a position in which body portion 26 d is positioned in front of and engages backup plate 20 (FIG. 8A). Engagement of plunger 54 with cam latch member 26 and subsequently with post 16 urges anvil head assembly 12 towards the tilted position.

With particular reference to FIG. 8A, during distal movement of backup plate/cutting ring assembly 20/22, frangible ring 104 of frangible retaining member 27 is separated from annular body portion 100 of frangible retaining member 27 and moved distally. Separate frangible ring 104 remains trapped between back wall 18 a of housing 18 and backup plate/cutting ring assembly 20/22.

With particular reference now to FIG. 8B, in addition to separation of frangible ring 104 from annular body 100, distal movement of backup plate/cutting ring assembly 20/22 causes lip 22 b formed on cutting ring 22 to be sheared off from the body portion of cutting ring 22. Lip 22 b remains within groove 36 a of housing 18. Alternatively, the knife blade (not shown) of the surgical stapling device (not shown) may cut through cutting ring 22, thereby separating the portion of cutting ring 22 that includes lip 22 b from the remainder of cutting ring 22. The portion of cutting ring 22 that includes lip 22 b remains within groove 36 a of housing 18.

It is noted that anvil head assembly 12 will not immediately tilt upon firing of a surgical stapling device (not shown) because, upon firing, anvil head assembly 12 is in an approximated position, i.e., the anvil head assembly 12 is in close alignment with the shell assembly of the stapling device (not shown). As such, the tilting of anvil head assembly 12 is prevented by engagement with the shell assembly (not shown) of the surgical stapling device (not shown) until anvil head assembly 12 is unapproximated.

Referring to FIG. 9, as anvil head assembly 12 pivots towards its tilted position, finger 66 of plunger 54 maintains surface 26 e of cam latch member 26 in contact with backup plate 20 to prevent backup plate 20 from sticking to the knife blade (not shown) of the surgical stapling device as the knife blade is retracted. It is noted that curved surface 26 e of cam latch member 26 is configured to eliminate any gap and ensure contact between surface 26 e of cam latch member 26 and backup plate 20 to hold backup plate 20 in place during and after the knife blade is refracted such that backup plate/cutting ring assembly 20/22 stays in the distal position during tilting of anvil assembly 12.

It will be understood that various modifications may be made to the embodiments disclosed herein. For example, although shown having an annular configuration, the frangible retaining member may have other configurations, e.g., square, oval, rectangular, etc. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplifications of preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A anvil assembly comprising: a center rod assembly; and a head assembly including a housing, a backup member, and a retaining member, the head assembly being pivotally supported on the center rod assembly between a non-tilted position and a tilted position, wherein the backup member is movable from a first position in which a portion of the backup member is positioned to prevent pivotal movement of the head assembly from the non-tilted position to the tilted position, to a second position in which the backup member is positioned to permit pivotal movement of the head assembly in relation to the center rod assembly from the non-tilted position to the tilted position, the retaining member including a body portion and a frangible portion connected to the body portion, wherein the frangible portion is positioned to engage the backup member and is configured to separate from the body portion during movement of the backup member from the first position to the second position.
 2. The anvil assembly according to claim 1, wherein the retainer member is positioned in the head assembly to prevent movement of the backup member from the first position to the second position until a predetermined force has been applied to the backup member.
 3. The anvil assembly according to claim 1, wherein the retainer member is positioned in the head assembly between the housing and the backup member, the retainer member further including a retaining portion formed on a first end of the body portion.
 4. The anvil assembly according to claim 3, wherein the retaining portion of the retainer member is positioned adjacent an inside wall of the housing.
 5. The anvil assembly of claim 3, wherein the frangible portion is supported on the body portion at a location spaced from the retaining portion.
 6. The anvil assembly according to claim 1, wherein the head assembly further includes a post, the housing and the post defining an annular recess and the retainer member being positioned in the annular recess.
 7. The anvil assembly of claim 1, wherein the body portion of the retainer member defines a plurality of cutouts configured to accommodate fingers formed on the backup member.
 8. The anvil assembly of claim 1, wherein the retaining member defines a weakened portion between the body portion and the frangible portion.
 9. The anvil assembly of claim 8, wherein the weakened portion defines perforations.
 10. The anvil assembly of claim 1, wherein the head assembly further includes a cam latch member positioned to prevent movement of the backup member from the second position to the first position.
 11. The anvil assembly according to claim 10, wherein the head assembly is pivotally secured to the center rod about a pivot member, the cam latch member being pivotally mounted about the pivot member.
 12. The anvil assembly according to claim 10, wherein the cam latch member is configured to maintain engagement with the backup member when the head assembly moves from the non-tilted position to the tilted position such that movement of the backup member from the second position towards the first position is prevented.
 13. The anvil assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cam latch member is positioned to engage an inner periphery of the backup member when the backup member is in the first position.
 14. The anvil assembly according to claim 10, further including a plunger which is urged by a biasing member into engagement with the cam latch member to urge the cam latch member to the pivoted position.
 15. The anvil assembly according to claim 10, wherein the cam latch member includes a curved surface which is configured to eliminate any gap between the cam latch member and the backup member during movement of the head assembly from the first position to the second position.
 16. The anvil assembly according to claim 1, wherein the backup member includes a cutting ring and a backup plate, the cutting ring being secured to a proximal face of the backup plate.
 17. The anvil assembly according to claim 16, wherein the backup plate includes at least one finger positioned to engage a surface of the center rod when the backup member is in the first position to prevent pivotal movement of the head assembly in relation to the center rod.
 18. The anvil assembly according to claim 17, wherein the cutting ring is formed from a softer material than the backup plate.
 19. The anvil assembly according to claim 18, wherein the cutting ring is formed from polyethylene and the backup plate is formed from a metal.
 20. The anvil assembly according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined force is between about ten pounds and about ninety pounds. 